Tufts Medical Center, South End Community Health Center form clinical partnership

Tufts Medical Center, South End Community Health Center form clinical partnership

Providers will address community health care needs with new, locally-based programs and services

BOSTON (July 23) – Tufts Medical Center and South End Community Health Center announced today they have formed an affiliation designed to enhance the health care programs and services available to Boston’s increasingly diverse and growing South End and Lower Roxbury communities. The comprehensive relationship will expand the availability, accessibility and quality of clinical care provided to community patients by growing and developing services at the Health Center and facilitating quick and easy access to care at Tufts MC, as needed.

“South End Community Health Center is an outstanding health care resource for a vibrant and unique area of our city. They are highly respected for delivering culturally- and linguistically-tailored services and programs,” said Michael Wagner, MD, President and CEO of Tufts Medical Center. “It really is a perfect partnership, as Tufts Medical Center has long been a champion of providing high quality care in the community for the convenience and comfort of our patients. We look forward to working together to meet the health care needs of this entire community.”

“By adding this strategic alliance with Tufts Medical Center, we will be in a stronger position to serve our patients,” said Robert Johnson, President and CEO of South End Community Health Center. “Tufts MC shares our commitment to caring for diverse communities and those who are often underserved by the health care system. Tufts MC is aligned with our vision to expand the depth and breadth of services we offer to South End and Lower Roxbury residents. This new partnership broadens our medical expertise and provides a wider range of choices to our 20,000 patients.”

The organizations intend to address health disparities and culture and language barriers by increasing access to primary care, geriatric services and women’s health programs at SECHC, and tackling chronic health issues – including obesity, diabetes and asthma – in the South End and surrounding communities. Tufts Medical Center plans to embed specialists at the Health Center for the convenience of patients and the coordination of care. The providers also will explore the development of teaching opportunities in the community health center environment, as well as facilitating the Health Center’s patients’ participation in clinical trials. Furthermore, Tufts MC and the Health Center will form a joint management committee to work on developing a multi-year strategic plan for the affiliation.

“Over the years, we have sought to cultivate relationships with top notch organizations that share our values and priorities,” said W. Karl McLaurin, Chairman of the South End Community Health Center Board of Directors. “Our affiliation with Tufts MC opens up new and exciting possibilities for the future of patient care at the Health Center.”

“There is great enthusiasm at the Health Center for this new partnership,” said Beth K. Mazyck, MD, FAAFP, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of South End Community Health Center. “It is our goal to be the go-to health care provider for all residents in these important neighborhoods. Enhancing our current array of excellent services with the specialty expertise of Tufts Medical Center makes us an even stronger medical home for the community.”

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About Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Floating Hospital for Children. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. Floating Hospital for Children is the full-service children’s hospital of Tufts Medical Center and the principal pediatric teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medical Center is affiliated with the New England Quality Care Alliance, a network of nearly 1,800 physicians throughout Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org.

About South End Community Health Center
The South End Community Health Center was established in 1969 as a pediatric clinic in response to a plea from a group of poor and underserved South End mothers who were seeking quality health care for their children. Since then, it has evolved into a full service health center providing adult/family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health as well as dental and eye care to 20,000 patients accounting for 82,000 visits annually. The dedicated staff provide high-quality, culturally and linguistically sensitive and accessible health care, and after 45 years, the Health Center is widely recognized for its outstanding preventive care for children and families, including more than 2,400 homeless patients. For more information, please visit us at www.sechc.org .
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